Taking a moment to appreciate the title screen

The title screen generally gives players an idea about the focus of the update, for example Homer riding a roller coaster was used to promote the Krustyland expansion.

If you’ve noticed, on the title screen there are several tombstones, some of which have an epitaph engraved on them. The humor of this update begins before the game even starts. Let’s take a look at all the messages hidden on the title screen to truly appreciate them.

Last Year’s Halloween Candy

Many people presumed that because the Halloween event from last year used candy pieces as currency, this update would as well. Instead the developers decided on something new and creative, as oppose to something dull and predictable.

“Fat in the Hat” Quests

One of the stories in the upcoming Treehouse of Horror XXIV special which airs this Sunday night at 8/7c on FOX is called “The Fat in the Hat”. Obviously this is going to be a parody of the classic Dr. Seuss book “The Cat in the Hat”. This may work for an animated story, but as far as content in the game, it wasn’t the best idea.

Perhaps an idea for this was pitched during the development, so this tombstone represents the death of that idea. That decision was probably for the best, as I don’t associate Dr. Seuss with Halloween.

Console Gaming

Given the fact that this game is played on mobile devices, this was a well-timed quip. There is no doubt that mobile games like The Simpsons: Tapped Out have become incredibly successful.

Of course this may also be commentary on all of the buzz surrounding the Wii U, PS4, and Xbox One — or perhaps lack thereof. Many gamers have made the switch to PC gaming, given the more powerful hardware and cheaper software prices with services like Steam.

Bipartisanship

How perfect is it that this update dropped the same day the United States government has shutdown because the two parties cannot come to terms on certain issues? This artwork was likely created several weeks ago, but it just so happened that this joke could not have been more well-timed.

Don’t worry Uncle Sam. Just pretend that collecting GOO will help fix everything that is wrong with the government. Is it fair to say we’ve traded the White House for the Pumpkin House?

Life in Hell

Waiting for this update has been Hell, but now the wait is over! There’s a tombstone and everything!

Actually though, this tombstone is a reference Life in Hell, a weekly comic strip by The Simpsons creator Matt Groening that ended its 35 year run last year. Thanks to Karlos for this tidbit of information!